Our NAID AAA Certification and What It Covers
Richards & Richards is NAID AAA Certified by i-SIGMA, the non-profit trade association that sets and oversees standards for the secure data destruction industry. NAID AAA Certification means our destruction operation is independently audited, which supports your due diligence under privacy laws.
What Our Certification Covers
| Endorsement | Where it happens | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Operation | At your location, on our shred truck | Paper and printed media only |
| Facility-based Operation | Our facility at 1741 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville | Paper and printed media, micro media, non-paper media, physical hard drives, solid-state devices and product destruction |
NAID AAA is our only corporate certification. We don’t hold SSAE/SOC, R2, e-Stewards or ISO certifications, and HIPAA isn’t a certification. NAID AAA covers destroying data-bearing media and products. It doesn’t cover recycling.
Security Beyond the Certificate
- Employees pass pre-employment background screening and drug screening, with background re-checks every three years
- Confidentiality requirements and training
- Uniformed team members with company identification
- Fully enclosed, locked vehicles, with the fleet GPS-monitored while on route
- Facility access controls and surveillance
- Documented chain of custody from pickup to destruction
Your Certificate of Destruction
After each completed destruction, a Certificate of Destruction is emailed automatically to the contact on file. It records what was destroyed and when, and supports your internal records and audit or due-diligence files.
Our NAID AAA Certified destruction process and Certificate of Destruction support your organization’s compliance program and vendor due-diligence records for laws such as HIPAA, GLBA and FACTA. Your organization remains responsible for its own compliance.
Witnessed Destruction
You can watch paper shredded on our mobile truck at your location. Witnessed destruction at our Nashville facility can be arranged in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I receive a Certificate of Destruction?
Yes. A Certificate of Destruction is emailed automatically to your contact on file after each completed destruction.
Do you destroy hard drives on-site?
No. We collect hard drives and other media from your office under documented chain of custody and physically destroy them at our NAID AAA Certified Nashville facility. On-site mobile shredding is available for paper.
Is product destruction covered by your certification?
Yes. Product destruction is included in our Facility-based Operation Endorsement.
Are you HIPAA certified?
HIPAA isn’t a certification. Our NAID AAA Certified destruction process and Certificate of Destruction support your organization’s compliance program for laws such as HIPAA. Your organization remains responsible for its own compliance.
Do you sign Business Associate Agreements?
Yes. We provide our standard BAA to healthcare clients that need one. If your organization requires its own agreement, let us know and we’ll work with you on it.
